Unbound

Chapter Forty Two - 042

Lessons of the Past is level 12!Lessons of the Past is level 13!

Felix woke up in the fire pit.

His entire body felt like he'd been beaten with one of those giant metal clubs. He was sore and aching and it hurt to think.

He didn't move, kept his Manasight deactivated and eyes closed. The sound of his breathing was loud, and the smell of his sick was sour, but he laid there unmoving for a long time.

At some point, he roused himself. His brain began to work, small bursts flashing in the dark of his skull.

That Memory...what was any of that? Are humans so different than monsters? Why did he see that insane M.C. Escher print of a landscape? Eyes closed, he could still perceive his interface. Felix noted his Lessons of the Past Skill had risen to level 13...and that before the assassin's blood, it had risen above level 10.

Level 10 has been a milestone for Skills, I've noticed. Did...did the Skill change?

If so, Felix didn't like it. He'd have to be more cautious in the future, especially if those...fissures reappeared. The thought of them, of their deep void color, sent shivers of pain across his skull. It was like hearing nails on a chalkboard or squeaky styrofoam with existential terror thrown in the mix. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to forget it.

It didn't work.

Finally, Pit's confusion and concern radiated through their link, and Felix forced himself to a sitting position.

Puke had dried to him and his tattered shirt. He finally stripped it off and threw it away from himself. No shirt, just pants. Just like old times.

"I gotta get more durable outfits."

Massaging his neck, Felix stood up and activated Manasight. He found his three vials, though it took a moment to locate the last cork. Climbing out of the pit, he leaned over and washed his three vials out with his waterskin before taking a long pull himself.

He felt remarkably better after that. He had probably been slightly dehydrated.

I'm sure I gotta eat some more but, he felt his stomach flop over at the idea. Maybe later. Though the food didn't excite him, it was filling at least. He missed stupid corner store pizza, and gas station hamburgers, two staples from his life before.

Admittedly, my diet and exercise regimen has certainly been better since I came here. Felix looked down at his bare torso, seeing muscles he had never had before. The fat on him was nearly burned away, only a little sticking to his love handles still. He ran his hand down his stomach, feeling the distinct impression of abs.

"Quest Received," Felix said in a serious voice. "Fight monsters, almost die, do it again. Reward: Aaabbbs." He chuckled to himself.

Yeah. He breathed in again and let his arms rise and fall with a soft slap. Coulda been worse.Ok! He clapped his hands together, then bent and retrieved his notebook and grease pencil.

"What have we learned, Pit?" The tenku tilted his head at Felix, letting out a half chirrup. "Well, the assassin's name is Ilia. Good to know for the future. Maybe the Silver Ranks will know who that is?" He jotted down the note. "There were a hundred prisoners when Ilia was there. Unsure how long ago the Memory was....Check with the Guilders and ask how long they've been out here. Maybe figure out a timeline?"

Felix tapped the pencil nub against his lips, considering the Memory, focusing to keep it from overwhelming his senses. Bits and flashes of it replayed, a strobe light of moments. "Ah, ok. She said they were mostly human prisoners, so not all of them. Maybe that means there are a lot of intermixing peoples?" Felix chewed his lip, more of the Memory playing out in his mind's eye. "Apparently, the fog inhibits her ability to Analyze people. Which means it probably stops the Guilders too. Which means they don't know jack about me, except what I tell them," He sighed and leaned against the wall, the stone cool against his back. "So I have no idea if being a Nym is good or bad to them. Dang." He underlined that note a couple times, writing a big "Be Cautious" in the margin.

He took another breath.

"Hokay, onto the important bits," he took up his pencil again, adjusting his grip so his knuckles stopped hitting the page. "The prisoners were being led by someone. Honey-colored, short hair, leather armor. Is she the same 'angry one' the Risi mentioned?"

That part was a bit strange. Why would both memories concern the prisoners? Is there an element to this I'm missing?Probably. I could fill books with what I don't know about this place. He laughed, annoyed at himself. He was doing just that, wasn't he?

He made a few more marks onto the page. "Who is Elder DuFont? They hired Ilia, clearly. Mention that to the Silver Ranks. And as far as I can tell, Ilia was using two Skills in that Memory: some sort of shadow cloak, and a way to walk on the air, what she called Cloudstep." Felix snapped the book closed and stowed the pencil.

"And I know which one I want to learn."

An hour later, Felix decided that learning shadow cloak was impossible.

This was for two reasons: one, Ilia's Memory had not been focused on the Skill, instead letting it run in the background. He figured it was likely some sort of passive benefit, or otherwise worked in a way that made zero sense to him. And two, the...slipperiness...of shadow Mana prevented him from properly manipulating it. Which made no freaking sense, considering his Shadow Whip spell was more tacky than slick.

So what's the difference?

Using the hints he could tease from the Memory, Felix had attempted to recreate the Mana patterns using Fire Within; Shadow Whip was a reference point. Felix was surprised to find how dissimilar the two were. The spell had slipped from his grasp and rebounded on him four times before he gave up, and the end of the hour found him nursing a massive headache against one of the carved walls. The iron mountain loomed above him, shining with a silver-brown radiance in the corner of his vision, and Felix had to deactivate his Manasight.

At least in the dark he didn't have to see how much he didn't know.

Frankly I'm surprised I've managed to figure out this much. All of this magic stuff is wildly out of my league. Felix drank some more water, the liquid sloshing loudly in the total darkness. The Skills I've been learning are changing me in ways I hadn't expected. Fire Within alone has me contemplating a weird internal world of Mana that I definitely never had before. It's amazing and thrilling and terrifying and...

And it means I need a teacher.

That was abundantly clear. There was so much that he wanted explained, so much that he had probably fucked up already. Sure he'd amassed a lot of stats and a considerable amount of Titles, but that was luck and circumstance. How did everything work? What was after Apprentice Tier? What even was an Omen?

Felix sighed.

I'm in the dark unless I can get the Guilders to help me. Considering Magda's suspicious nature, that might take some doing. He leaned his head back against the wall, looking up into the black. All of this is changing me. The stats, the Skills, even my pact with Pit. Piece by piece, I'm becoming someone other than who I was when I arrived here. It scares me just as much as it excites me. Who will I be, when this is over? What will I be?

Felix felt Pit settle against his left side, beak slightly nipping at his hand. Dutifully, Felix started scratching the little beast. The image of the assassin ran through his head, her cold condescension and dismissal of his life. He felt anger well up inside him, hot and righteous and burning for an outlet.

At least Ilia taught me a truth: I either get stronger or I die. It's my only way forward.

He leveraged himself to his feet, and Pit squawked in dismay. Felix still had another Skill he could try, and at least a little time left before anyone came looking for him. He dragged his fingers through the Memory, stopping once he found what he was looking for: Cloudstep.

He focused on the Memory, letting his mind drift back into the grip of his past, just enough to see it again. He was Ilia again, making a casual leap into thin air, only to have it solidify beneath him before pushing off again. It was a brief and well executed move, and at first blush seemed miraculous.

Felix backed up, reliving the moment again. But this time, he felt for the rush of Ilia's senses, which were very acute, and tried to feel out the patterns of her Mana. The moment her leg left the ledge, there was a stirring in her core before surging down into her legs...but he lost it once the air solidified again.

Shaking his head, Felix started again. It was activating too fast. He couldn't keep up.

Again.

The Mana surged, the pattern formed and twisted down the pathways in her leg, expelling into the world...and--!

She was pushing Mana out into the air? Just unattributed Mana? He checked again, but the Mana he sensed was almost colorless, a translucent cloud of power that puffed from her feet and solidified. How?

He did it again. And again, but the how of it never revealed itself.

So Felix practiced.

He attempted to mimic the feel of the power, tracing its path down his channels and into his foot. It was easy enough to manage after a few minutes, moving the magic within him, but expelling it was another story. It seemed...stuck, for lack of a better word. Bottlenecking at his foot, the Mana simply gathered there until he stopped focusing, then would flow immediately back to his core.

Frustrated he copied the shifts and twists of Ilia's magic, tracing out a complicated whirling pattern much as he did with his Stone Shaping Skill, yet very different. Where Stone Shaping was all curving lines and steady flow, these were twisty and loopy, prone to making abrupt changes in direction and reversals. It was extremely difficult to get the hang of, and Felix felt his headache edge back into his temples.

The twists and patterns of each spell I gain all seem unique. They're like magic words, almost. But instead of a string of vaguely-Latin word-jumble, I get the equivalent of throwing rocks in a pond to make waves hit the shore in just the right way to set it on fire. Craziness.

Wait. Felix opened his eyes, his Manasight showing him the sleeping form of Pit at his feet. I'm worrying about the wrong thing here. I've done this before, with Reign of Vellus. How does that work?

Felix reviewed his kinetic spell, watching as the blue crackling wave of force washed outward from him before dissipating. Was the Skill automating the action? Is that why it's so easy to do this with Reign of Vellus? He looked closer, watching as the Mana flowed from Felix's body and out of his hands, the azure light sparking with electricity as it jumped away from him.

It seems like intent and momentum. Build up enough of both and it'll just...flow. I hope.

Felix tried again, gathering up his Mana and surging it down his right leg. He focused, willing his vision of reality to occur just as he pressed down with whatever mental muscle controlled his pathways. There was a build up of resistance that felt awful, and then suddenly WOOSH a cloud of blue and gold puffed into appearance at his feet. It disappeared in moments.

Fire Within is level 28!

New Skill Learned!Mana Manipulation (Uncommon), Level 1!You have learned to manipulate Mana itself! Good job! Don't kill yourself! Increase in precision and control with Skill Level.

"Holy shit I did it!" And he got a cool new Skill from it too. Felix wasn't sure what the difference between Fire Within and Mana Manipulation was, but he was eager to find out.

But first he had some stepping to do!

Surging his power, Felix forced out another cloud of blue-gold Mana but this time immediately placed his foot down on it...and stumbled forward.

"Gah! Shit."

The cloud sparked into a thousand bolts of static electricity as his foot just smooshed right through it.

"Do I need more Mana?"

Felix tried again, and again. Turned out, he had to put nearly five hundred Mana into the little cloud before it would even start to hold his weight. Finally, after entirely too long, he pushed his foot down onto the Mana cloud and felt it mush beneath him...but hold. For two seconds. Then it disappeared again, evaporating into the air itself.

Fire Within is level 29!

Mana Manipulation is level 2!...Mana Manipulation is level 4!

New Skill Learned!Cloudstep (Uncommon), Level 1!Like running, but very different! Step to the skies! Durability and duration increase with Skill Level.

"Hell yeah!" Felix pumped his fist into the air, savoring the victory. But he had wasted so much of his Mana and had nearly emptied himself out this time. Felix tottered toward the nearest wall, letting himself fall against it. His body felt overheated, as if he'd been working out, and the cool stone was a balm.

Can't believe that was so hard. Felix huffed, trying to slow his breathing. Why is that? Sometimes I feel like I gain a Skill without trying, and this I have to fight tooth and nail for.

Felix didn't let his mind wander down that path. It was useless to speculate without someone to teach him. Speaking of which, they should be back by now, right? I should go find them, at least to ensure that they don't leave me behind.

Felix stood up, pushing off the carved wall as he gained his feet. Then he heard a ringing sound; but ringing wasn't quite right. It was more felt than heard, a ringing chime that shook his bones and tingled against his skin.

What is that?

Felix turned toward the wall he was touching, feeling it strongest through the stone surface. The chime came from his left, toward the stairs, somewhere along the wall itself.

Cautiously Felix approached, one hand on the wall while the other was clenched, ready to summon a Corrosive Strike in an instant. But when he reached the center of the mural, he found the silent chiming was coming from the depiction of a waterfall arcing into a wide lake.

Something is...it's coming from under the blue inlay. The lapis lazuli was layered thickly on the mural, carved and altered to depict a stylistic water feature, and the vibrations were coming from...the waterfall itself. Felix flexed his Manasight, and instantly he noticed that the surface Mana of the mural was rippling.

Abruptly, the blue stone waters began to flow and shift, as if real. Drawing closer, Felix watched as the stone poured over the waterfall and splashed powerfully into the lake below. The mural was so detailed, so immaculately done, that he could even see the barest hint of a ledge beneath the waterfall, as if....

The stone parted, and revealed a small jagged piece of bronze metal inside the waterfall. Like a bronze fish surrounded by jeweled waters. The vibration grew more powerful as his hand neared, practically singing as he reached out and touched the metal.

The moment he touched it, the ringing multiplied a thousandfold. It coursed down his arm and between his ears and danced across his heart and guts. It was so strong, so omnipresent, that it took Felix several seconds to realize the sound was coming from behind him too.

He looked down and saw his sword, strapped to his pack, was nearly chiming along with the vibrations. With his left hand, Felix grabbed it and held it aloft.

Slowly the runes along its length ignited in a strange sequence, flashing out of order and in differing intensities. Then they quieted.

The vibrations stopped.

Felix was dumbfounded.

What is this?

He touched the waterfall again, the chime gone now. But then he stepped back and looked at the scene, hoping for more answers. There was a river coming from up on a distant mountain before dropping off the cliff, and pouring into a large lake that was surrounded by white and red trees. Odd. He focused on the bronze piece, shaped like a small hook almost. Kinda like...

Kinda like his sword.

Exploration is level 21!

"Holy shit," Felix stared down at the sword in his hand. "This is the Waterfall Temple."

He looked around at the other murals. "Then does that mean...?"

He rushed over to the other walls, peering at the silver forest and the split-peaked mountain. But despite his search, he could find no bronze inlaid into their designs. His Manavision found no spark of gold hidden beneath their depths.

Are there Temples hidden at all of these places? Why? The one I found only had a few mostly empty rooms and a big magic door that wanted to kill anyone who got close...Shit. Based on what he knew of this world, nothing good was behind that door. And Felix was willing to bet that each Temple had one...if there were other Temples.

I don't even know if these are even in the Foglands. But if his hours of watching the History channel meant anything, it was that no one carved elaborate scenes into walls without a purpose.

Questions, questions. They never end.

Another noise caught his ears, freshly acclimated to the lack of ringing or chiming. It was the sound of metal on stone, and the soft murmur of voices from below.

They're back. Good. Felix squared up his shoulders and moved toward the stairwell. It was past time they all had a chat.

Vvim gripped their cane with whitened knuckles, and though their hands were palsied with age it was not time that shook their limbs.

The youth ran off, dashing down the stairs to seek his companions and Vvim did not stop him. They dared not. Though others may be fooled, Vvim was untouched by the grand illusion erected Ages ago.

Little could be hidden from the Geist.

Still, they were not to be hurried. Things could be more complicated than it first seemed. Vvim's eyes shined a pale, robin's egg blue, their whites stained as if their irises had burst and overflowed. Their eyes were shrewd and powerful, but their nose...yes, their nose was much stronger.

Vvim hobbled forward, cane clacking against the stone. His nose wrinkled and twitched, and his bared his teeth slightly at the sour scent of vomit.

Salted meat? Hard tack? No...something else.

Vvim searched, until their finger found a small dab of red. They lifted it, bringing the wet to their nose and breathing deep.

Blood of a Human. Why? Their eyes fell upon the far wall, the blue water glistening in their senses, still radiating a faint heat from the boy's presence.

A sigh of wind, and Vvim held withered hands before the sculpture, feeling the texture of the warmth that stubbornly clung to the wall. Brows furrowed, Vvim clacked their teeth and gestured at the waterfall. The blue stone parted, revealing the jagged piece of bronze embedded deep within it.

The Herald's Hook.

Quick as a blink, Vvim checked the other two murals, running his senses across them.

Still there. Still unclaimed.

Vvim looked down, as if peering through the stone slab at their feet. Who are you, child?